OBJECTIVES

Our purpose was to ascertain whether the proportion of low-birth-weight infants delivered in Washington at tertiary hospitals changed between 1980 and 1991 and whether mortality differed by level of birth hospital.

STUDY DESIGN

A retrospective cohort study was performed of 500 to 2499 gm infants born to Washington residents between 1980 and 1991 (n=43,228).

RESULTS

Overall, the percentage of low-birth-weight infants born at tertiary centers rose from 1980 to 1982 through 1986 to 1988 and subsequently declined significantly.